Sacramento Kings fans were excited to see Marvin Bagley III play, but the rookie's debut certainly was not what they wanted to witness.
Bagley, the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, sustained a right hip flexor and groin area injury during their 71-61 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday. The severity of the injury will be known when he undergoes MRI on Monday.
According to ESPN, Bagley could miss time because of the injury. The Kings played without the former Duke standout in their 88-78 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. He remains doubtful for their third game on Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Bagley Believes He Will Be Fine
While there are different takes on his injury, Bagley does not believe that his hurting hip and right groin will force him to miss a lot of games. The 19-year-old said that he does not think the injury is serious and he will be fine moving forward.
"It's just a tweak," Bagley said via Sacramento Bee. "On the last play, the last dunk I had, I came down and pushed off, but nothing serious, I'll be fine."
However, Kings summer league head coach Larry Lewis said that the team would take a cautious approach. They are aware that their celebrated rookie is eager to play and show what he is made of, but they cannot take a risk at this point of the offseason.
Lewis added that they will make sure Bagley will still be involved in their upcoming games even if he sits out. He said that Bagley would also benefit from seeing things from the sideline.
DeAndre Ayton Outplays Bagley In First Showdown
Basketball fans were thrilled to see the top two rookies go at it, but DeAndre Ayton immediately took the spotlight with his superb performance. Ayton, the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, outplayed his former high school teammate in their summer league debut.
Ayton ended up with 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Bagley finished with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. Ayton went 8-for-11 from the field, while Bagley had a measly 5-for-13 clip in their first of many encounters in the NBA.
According to FanSided, Bagley's lack of length and size were exposed in his matchup against Ayton. The Kings rookie managed to display a quick first step, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to create scoring opportunities for him when he goes up against bigger and quicker power forwards in the regular season.
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